The release of Arsenal's fixtures for their Premier League title defence serves to remind fans of the stars who may not be around for the start of the campaign
04:30, 19 Jun 2026
Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring the 1st Arsenal goal with William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 Round of 16 Second Leg match between Arsenal FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
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A number of Arsenal stars are at risk of seeing the World Cup delay their start to the new Premier League season(Image: Stuart MacFarlane, Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal's first Premier League title defence in 22 years reaches its first stage on Friday as the fixtures are announced for the forthcoming season. And fans are waiting with bated breath to see who's first up for Mikel Arteta's side.
However, this campaign in particular will come with a special kind of caveat. That being the fact the Gunners could well be at least somewhat depleted at the very start of the season due to potential delays caused by World Cup 2026.
The tournament in North America is little over seven days old and has more than a month left to run. The 2026/27 Premier League season then kicks off around four weeks after that, which sounds like ample time to rest and recover on paper.
However, it's not necessarily that straightforward considering the World Cup started so close to the end of last season. That means any of the 15 Arsenal players at the World Cup who happen to make the final on July 19 may still require a healthy break after the tournament before getting up to speed with some sort of pre-season preparation.
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The Gunners had a particularly demanding 2025/26 campaign after finally getting their hands on the league title. They then competed in the Champions League decider before suffering disappointment against Paris Saint-Germain.
As a result, certain stars may not be match-ready for the opening games of the new season by the time it gets underway on August 22. What's more, it could be particularly damaging for Arteta if England and Spain were to contest the final.
Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and David Raya of Arsenal pose for a photograph with the Premier League trophy (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)
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Arsenal's Spanish contingent of David Raya (R), Martin Zubimendi (2L) and Mikel Merino (not pictured) could well go far in North America(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images For Premier League)
That eventuality could take as many as seven combined players off the table in one swoop. Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze are each currently starring for the Three Lions across the pond, while David Raya, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi are on international duty with Spain.
Brazil is the only other World Cup contender with more than a single Arsenal player. Key defender Gabriel and winger Gabriel Martinelli are hoping to thrive under Carlo Ancelotti, though they made a lacklustre start after drawing 1-1 with Morocco.
Every other at-risk player is the only Arsenal representative in their respective squads. However, William Saliba (France) and Kai Havertz (Germany) may be considered as having particular potential to go deep in the World Cup.
Full list of Arsenal players at World Cup 2026
Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke - England
William Saliba - France
Kai Havertz - Germany
David Raya, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi - Spain
Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli - Brazil
Martin Odegaard - Norway
Viktor Gyokeres - Sweden
Leandro Trossard - Belgium
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Piero Hincapie - Ecuador
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